The Love Song
by TeaTimeTurtle
Summary: (Based on the 03 anime series.) Astro Boy is abducted and nearly torn apart quite literally, broken down for his design by an underground scientist. The ARRS goes and retrieves him but doesn't capture his abductor. Dr. O'Shay painstakingly puts him back together again but poor Astro isn't the same. It will take a new friend's devotion to pull him out of this traumatic experience.
1. Abduction

**Prologue**

The time that has passed up until now was long and excruciating. It was always dark and noisy. Things called words, simple phrases and little common knowledges had been there from the beginning, but none of it made any sense here; this place with no name and not belonging to the past, present or future. When did it begin? Would it ever end? Why was there a feeling so sad of being out of place, somehow longing for something or someone that didn't exist. Had there been anything before this? Immobile and voiceless, one could only wait for the answers to come.

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Astrooo!"

Astro turned to his sister and asked, "What is it Zoran?" She pouted as she fallowed slowly behind him, dragging her feet.

"Can we stop by the mall please?!" she asked sweetly.

Astro sighed and said: "I already told you 'no' before we left. We have to get these groceries back to Nora. There isn't enough time for shopping." She only whined louder. To sooth her he promised to take her tomorrow.

"Right after school, I swear. We'll even go to that little frilly dress shop. Okay?"

"Okay!"

She skipped on ahead, satisfied and humming happily. Astro chuckled despite himself.

A chatter spread around them suddenly. Curious citizens were staring and pointing at a green sparkling cloud of moth-like robots flying towards them. Zoran smiled and marveled at how pretty they were. She ran out and they stopped just short of her. The foreign robots were delicate upon closer observation, with ruby eyes and soft looking antennas. Without warning they screeched like earsplitting sirens. They gathered together and formed one large moth, with jaws dropped wide open, revealing rows of sharp metal fangs. Zoran screamed and ran back to her brother. The freakish moth-bots shot a blue laser out of the tip of the tongue, aimed for her head. Instead it hit Astro between the eyes when he shoved her out of the way. His eyes went dark before filling with blue static. Then he fell back into his sister's arms.

"…Astro? Astro, wake up! Wake up big brother!" she cried, shaking his shoulders.

The little moths separated again and snatched Astro away from her. She stood up and screamed while he was carried away on a green wisp.

"Give him back! Didja hear?! Give him back!"

* * *

When Dr. O'Shay got the call he was in the middle of an important meeting. After Ms. Yuko whispered the news into his ear, he tore out of the room like a bat out of hell. They went straight to his office where he discussed the situation with inspector Tawashi.

"We're doing everything we can to locate the perpetrator, but there's not much to go on. All we've got is Zoran's and the other witnesses' testimonies," the inspector informed.

A freeze frame of Zoran's visual memory came up on the computer screen. Dr. O'Shay tried to remember where he'd seen those moth-bots before.

"Honestly doctor, I would've thought you'd put a tracker on that kid by now."

That didn't seem like such a bad idea now, but regretting would only waste what little time they had.

Suddenly he thought of something.

"I've seen this before," he announced certainly. "Dr. Lindolph from a little village called Grotta created something similar. His specialty was camouflage bombs, specifically little deceiving mechanical bugs with big explosives. It's the same design."

The inspector snapped his fingers.

"That's right!" he said. "Dr. Lindolph's research was strictly for military purposes only, but was later caught red handed selling his "bug bombs" and other such items on the black market. He narrowly escaped authorities and is still on the loose. I can only guess what he wants with Astro."

* * *

It was dark when Astro regained consciousness. The damage to his ocular receivers made everything fuzzy and unfocused, but he could still see a little light and some colors. Fortunately there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

He tried to move but his electronic nervous system had been tampered with. When he tried to move his left arm his right leg twitched. When he wanted to extended his index fingers his shoulders would raise up.

"Ah, you're awake."

Astro didn't respond, lying perfectly still, trying to determine where the unknown man was.

"Sorry about the rough manner of your '_invitation_', but I couldn't take no for an answer."

Strange foot steps inched towards him from behind.

***Stomp***_**Draaag**_***Stomp*****_Draaag_*****Stomp*****_Draaag_***

By the sound of it, the man had a bad leg and was wearing some heavy boots.

"What do you want?" Astro finally asked.

The man was standing next to him now. All Astro could see of him was a fluffy gray head and a red shirt, or coat or sweater. Whatever it was, it was red.

Warm, shallow breaths fell on his face, smelling of whisky.

"Don't concern yourself with that."

Astro jerked, trying to sit up but only flailing like a fish out of water.

"I'm going to find a way out of here!" he declared.

The man laughed heartily and said: "You'll leave when I'm finished!" He stepped out of sight and a ruckus started at the other end of the room. Something clattered on the floor, probably nuts or bolts or tools maybe. Then the shrill sound of a drill went off, sending waves of fear through Astro's mind. The drill came closer and closer, made eerier by the odd accompanying foot steps. All he could do was flop around, still unable to control his body. A large hand stilled him, pressing down on his chest. The drill was next to his ear now, still screaming like a small tortured animal.

"Now Astro," the man hissed hatefully. "We can do this the easy way… or the hard way… Which is it?"

Astro managed to throw his fist out. Miraculously he hit something. It was a pleasure to hear a loud pain filled grunt. He lifted his head up slightly and answered boldly, "The hard way."

* * *

Ms. Yuko brought in a steaming mug of coffee and set it on the desk. Dr. O'Shay had nearly nodding off by the time she returned. He'd been working around the clock for over three weeks, helping the investigation however he could. He wore the lack of sleep and proper nutrition heavily. The dark circles under his eyes made him look much older than he actually was. They nearly flew off his face when inspector Tawashi came in and told him the latest progress.

"You've found him?!" Dr. O'Shay nearly shouted.

Inspector Tawashi put his hands up as if to say "down boy". Instead he said: "We don't know for sure, but it's a very likely possibility. We've sent the robot squad out there already."

"Why didn't you phone me as soon as you heard? I could have already been there by now," Dr. O'Shay scolded, reaching for his blue jacket.

The inspector stopped him at the door, looking down into Dr. O'Shay's eyes, which were burning with anxiety.

"What if he needs my help?"

"All the necessary teams and divisions are at the scene doctor. We don't know what to expect. Its best if you stay out of the way."

It took everything he had to keep the doctor from leaving the office.

* * *

The rough landscape was unoccupied by both man and robot. Night fell on the abandoned junkyard as Delta and his team neared the secret bunker. No one and nothing was standing guard. The surveillance team had confirmed that no one had gone in or out for the past 18 hours. After quickly reciting the plan to his team a second time, Delta led the way inside.

The large underground room was dimly lit by the blue computer screens in the walls. The soft light fell on a crude workbench. A dismantled robot lay there, completely defaced and nearly stripped down to the skeleton. Parts were scattered everywhere.

Delta walked up on the mechanical mess. Nothing looked familiar except for the electronic brain in the poor robot's chest. With horror what he was looking at dawned on him. He grabbed a soiled gray duffel bag off of the floor and emptied it. His teammates watched him gather up the loose pieces hurriedly.

"Don't just stand there!" he barked.

It was then that they realized too what all this was. Without a word they began searching the room.

Just when they were almost finished, the room was invaded with insects. They stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Delta sprang into action when the creepy crawlies started blinking with tiny red lights.

"It's a trap!" he shouted.

He scooped up the robot while the others gathered the last few components. Then they booked it out of there and almost didn't make it. The force of the explosion pushed them into the starry sky.

Only Delta came out with damage, his right foot completely blown off. A few hitchhikers were to blame for that. He had to be supported the rest of the way back.

* * *

Dr. O'Shay gathered a team quickly and they waited at the door together. Adrenalin filled the entire room, everyone's thoughts racing. Finally one of the A.R.R.S. members, Echo, brought the battered robot, the dirty duffel bag on his shoulder. He raced up the Ministry's front steps. Inspector Tawashi was only two steps behind.

Looking at mangled machine, Dr. O'Shay couldn't have imagined worse. He took the skeleton in his arms, fighting back his rage for the all the cruelty that had been done. All he could say was the victim's name.

"Astro…"


	2. Starting Over Again

The sunrise brought a new fatigue he had never known before, but also fresh hope. Dr. O'Shay sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow with a sleeve. The past week had been the most stressful of all. It had taken nearly a month to find and retrieve Astro, and a full week to put him back together again. All that was left to do was refill his energy supply. When they found him it had been over half depleted, but enough remained to keep him semiconscious. Whatever was going on down in that bunker, Astro had been awake through most of it.

The sliding doors opened and Reno came into the lab with a green canister. He wore a smile the doctor hadn't seen for a long while.

"Thank you Reno," Dr. O'Shay said, rising from his seat.

Reno nodded in reply as he carried the canister to the operating table. Astro lay there as if deep inside a dream. Dr. O'Shay didn't know what reaction to expect when the boy awoke. Would he be his old joyful self, happy to see them, or traumatized? Nothing like this had ever happened before. Whatever was to come, he knew Astro could pull through it.

As Reno replenished his energy, Astro stirred. When his energy was full his big brown eyes opened. They watched as he rose up, blinking and squinting. Dr. O'Shay thought of how damaged the boy's eyesight had been. How strange it must be to see clearly again after such a long time.

The next thing Astro did was look at his hand, lifting it up to his face. He flexed his fingers, made a fist and then relaxed them again. While he was doing this repeatedly, Dr. O'Shay and Reno were holding their breaths, waiting for him to notice them or say something. Finally the doctor couldn't stand it anymore.

"Astro?" he whispered.

Astro snapped his head towards him and then froze with wide fearful eyes. When no one reacted immediately, he relaxed a little and tilted his head, looking them over curiously.

Tears filled Dr. O'Shay's eyes as he pulled Astro into his arms.

"We're so glad you're back," he said.

Astro didn't say anything or return the hug. He froze again, stiff as a board. Dr. O'Shay let go and backed away, watching Astro study him worriedly and confusedly.

"Astro, are you okay?" Reno asked.

Again Astro tilted his head, as if unsure what to do. His eyes wandered when no one said anything else. He moved his legs to hang off the table. Then it seemed he was waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he tried to inch himself off. They watched, dumbfounded, as he hit the floor. Reno got past his shock enough to try to help Astro up. He held Astro's arm as the robot boy's wobbly legs straightened. They walked a few shaky steps together. Reno let go when Astro looked back at him with fear. He stepped back slowly. Then he and Dr. O'Shay watched Astro walk away steadily on his own. He half smiled as he discovered a funny looking tool. They watched him study it for a while, still in shock.

"It's kind of like he's a brand new robot," Reno thought aloud in a whisper. "But there's something wrong."

Dr. O'Shay went to his computer quietly and looked over some scans and old files.

"It's as I feared. Someone tried to wipe his memories, but they're not gone completely," Dr. O'Shay explained.

Reno stood next to him, looking over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" he asked hopefully.

The doctor pulled up a diagram of Astro's electronic brain.

"Astro's electronic brain was built with an extra HDD to serve as a back up for his several developing databases. As he learns and grows, all the information is stored in two separate hard drives."

Reno processed this, affirming that he understood thus far with a nod.

"To protect this secondary hard drive, Dr. Tenma set up an intricate program. While the first hard drive is being wiped the second locks down, preventing any foreign access. Then it selects seven random keys from Astro's memory banks. These are things he's seen, heard or experienced before. When he experiences them again, in the correct order, the second hard drive copies and sends the data back to the first where Astro can access it. The only way you can completely wipe his memory is to remove the second hard drive, but it's welded in such a way, you cannot remove it without destroying the electronic brain.

"He is the only one who could, but when Tenma wiped his memories and shut him down, he left the second hard drive alone. I think a part of him wanted Astro to remember his past eventually. However he can recall only bits and pieces so far. I think that has something to do with the emotional element of Astro's mind. He's probably subconciously blocking a lot of it out."

Reno sighed and folded his arms.

"What do we do now?"

Dr. O'Shay shook his head.

"Nothing but wait I'm afraid," he answered sadly. "He'll remember in time. Until then all we can do is help him get back on his feet."

The tool slipped from Astro's hand and landed on the floor loudly. Instantly he hunched down and hid his head under his arms, which were trembling. Reno wanted to go to him, but Dr. O'Shay stopped him with an outstretched arm.

Eventually Astro peeked out nervously. Dr. O'Shay tried to smile for him and said: "It's okay Astro. No one's going to do anything to you here." His kind words seemed to help, but the soft tone made all the difference. As Astro went back to playing with the tools, Reno looked up at the doctor and asked, "What was that?"

"That's the toll abuse takes," Dr. O'Shay answered. "We'll have to earn his trust back."

* * *

Later that evening inspector Tawashi paid them a visit. Dr. O'Shay took him to his office to discus the video retrieved from Astro surviving memory banks.

"The video was useless, as you said it'd be, but the audio we recovered was perfect. Three out of five voices were identified but none of them were Dr. Lindolph."

"Who did you identify inspector?"

"Well that's classified doctor, but I can tell you that they were robot thieves."

Dr. O'Shay leaned on his elbows over the desk. Hesitantly, he asked the question he was afraid to know the answer to.

"How badly was he treated?"

The inspector looked equally hesitant when he answered.

"Very. If he were a human child, we'd already have him in the hands of a good psychologist."

Inspector Tawashi put the video card on the desk.

"You need to hear it doctor, but rest up first."

As he got up to leave he looked as if he meant to say something, but didn't. Dr. O'Shay watched the doors close behind him. His eyes remained glued there, angry tears building. Unconsciously he grabbed the video card and squeezed it.

A few moments later Astro came through the doors, holding a piece of paper. Ms Yuko was right behind him, smiling.

"Astro dew you a picture doctor," she said.

Dr. O'Shay swallowed his bitter feelings and smiled too.

"Did you now?" he asked the little robot.

Astro nodded and ran over. The doctor took it with a "thank you" and examined the crayon masterpiece.

"Is that me?" he asked.

Astro nodded again without a sound.

"Well it's wonderful! Thank you Astro."

The compliment made the boy smile a little, but he still wouldn't speak. Dr. O'Shay wondered whether he still hadn't re-learned how, or was afraid to. Ms. Yuko interrupted his thoughts.

"It's very late and you haven't been home at all since last Tuesday. Zoran and Nora have been so worried and are getting lonesome," she said. "You both could use a good night's sleep."

Dr. O'Shay put a hand on Astro's shoulder. The boy's uncomfortable eyes watched his every movement fretfully, obviously still expecting the worst. Seeing his strong, silent dislike of contact, Dr. O'Shay pulled his hand back immediately.

"What do you say Astro, ready to go home?" he asked steadily, remaining outwardly composed.

Astro nervously looked from him to Ms. Yuko and then nodded uncertainly. With a short breath out his nose, Dr. O'Shay pushed himself out of his chair.

* * *

The front door opened to a dark room. Astro stayed close behind Dr. O'Shay, wondering what would happen next. The doctor flipped a switch and the lights came on.

Dr. O'Shay said: "Welcome home Astro. We'll show you around in the morning. Right now it's bedtime."

He led Astro up the stairs, feeling all the weeks of compiling worry and stress barring down on him.

As they were going down the hall to the bedroom, Astro stopped in front of Zoran's door. Inside he saw her sleeping in her bed. Nora was sitting in front of the window, snoring. Curiosity got the better of him. He tipped toed inside and stood beside the bed. Eventually Dr. O'Shay realized where he'd gone and caught up.

When he arrived, Astro was watching her face twitch in her sleep, disturbed by something in her dreams. An urge to comfort her took over. He reached out and touched her hand lightly. Soon after her face grew serene. She murmured something, but it wasn't clear enough to make out.

"Come on, you can get more acquainted in the morning," Dr. O'Shay prompted quietly.

Astro followed him out, looking back until the doctor shut the door. Then they went to his room. The long day caught up with him too and he realized how tired he was. Dr. O'Shay pulled the covers back on the blue bed and waved Astro over.

"Come here," he said.

Astro climbed up and lay down on the soft sheets. The doctor fluffed the pillow behind his head asking, "It's been a busy day huh?" In response Astro yawned. Dr. O'Shay tucked the comforter around him and said good night. Deciding it was best to leave the lamp on, he started to leave, but Astro's eyes shone pitifully, stopping him in his tracks. He didn't need to ask with a look like that, so the doctor sat down next to him. Astro surprised him by curling up against him and closing his eyes. Dr. O'Shay slowly put his arm around him. Before long they were both asleep.


	3. Rainy Dawn

Vague sounds drifted through his ears as he slowly came back to consciousness. In a half awake daze he suddenly realized Astro was no longer beside him. In a panic he shot up to his feet and looked around. To his great relief he saw Astro standing in front of the closet watching him. The boy had found a pair of black pants and a dark blue hoodie which he was trying to put on.

The doctor released his held breath and said: "Good morning." Astro reanimated from his frozen state and smiled slightly.

"What do you have there?" the doctor asked, trying to coax Astro to speak.

Instead the boy shrugged as best he could, his arms stuck inside the sleeves. Dr. O'Shay chuckled and went over to help him. Once dressed, he took Astro down stairs. Nora and Zoran were in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the doctor.

At the sight of her "long-lost" brother, Zoran's face lit up. Nora also carried a bright light of relief and excitement. Ms. Yuko had phoned them yesterday, explaining that they needed to take it slow and why. Still, it was all Zoran could do to stay calm. She was beaming as she put out her hand and said: "Hi Astro, I'm your sister Zoran."

Dr. O'Shay remembered in that tender moment when the roles were once reversed. Everyone watched sadly as he looked at her apprehensively. He glanced at the doctor for support and then took his sister's hand warily.

Zoran picked up on this and told him, "This place is safe. No need to worry." It seemed that their old connection had renewed for a moment, the spark of an old bond in his eyes, but it left as quickly as it came. If he had remembered anything, it wasn't much. Dr. O'Shay hoped it was the first key to regaining his memory.

Astro drew his hand back and looked Nora over in the same worrisome fashion. Zoran looked back at her, both sharing the same concern, sadness and feeling of loss.

"Nora's okay," she assured, turning back to Astro. "She's family too."

Nora jumped in and said: "That's right. Now, how about we refill your energy cells eh?" She reached out for his hand with her long metal arm. Astro stared at her chrome fingers for a few minutes, raising his eyebrows curiously. He touched them gently, comparing their hands.

"Yes, I'm a robot too," she explained. "I'm just a different model. There are all kinds of robots. You'll see."

Her hand remained flat, outstretched and awaiting his. Some of his hesitance melted away so he grabbed it and let her lead him to the power station nearby.

Dr. O'Shay had been observing so intently, he nearly jumped when Zoran poked him. Her copper eyes begged for a hug which he obliged. "No offense doctor, but you really need a bath." For the first time in a long time he laughed. He gave her a final squeeze and said: "I think you're right."

"You go ahead doctor," Nora chimed in, helping Astro plug the nozzle into his chest. "We'll take it from here."

The doctor nodded, but still felt uneasy. It was the first time in eight days he had left Astro's side for more than ten minutes. A voice in his head kept telling him that the boy could disappear any moment. Besides the chances of being abducted again, he was still a curious kid despite his fear of people.

But he trusted Nora and it seemed that Astro was getting comfortable, so Dr. O'Shay left them to it.

It hadn't been five minutes after he walked out of the room when there was a knock at the door. Zoran opened it for Ms. Yuko, Momo and Reno.

"Good morning," they said.

Zoran echoed the greeting as she let them inside. "Good morning everyone."

"Hello. Have you both eaten yet?" Nora asked.

"Yes thank you, but could I trouble you for a cup of coffee?" Yuko asked.

"Of course!"

Nora left Astro and went for the coffee pot. Astro stood there awkwardly holding the nozzle, not knowing what to do as Yuko sat down at the dinning room table. "Good morning Astro." He nodded at her and smiled wanly. Reno went up to him and asked, "Hey Astro, remember me?" Astro's already dim smile dimmed further as he tried to recollect his name. Drawing a blank he shrugged his shoulders. Reno laughed it off but he sounded more disappointed than merry.

"That's okay. We didn't really spend that much time together yesterday did we?"

Again Astro nodded silently, refusing any verbal involvement in the conversation. Nora came back with a cup of coffee for Yuko and a cup of cocoa for Reno.

"Here we are!" she said as she set the mugs on the table.

As Reno and Yuko started on their hot drinks, Nora unplugged Astro. He pulled his shirt back down and looked around the room. Every little thing interested him. The knickknacks. The pictures. The furniture. The carpet.

His hyper awareness tipped him off. He had a feeling that he was being watched, so he whirled his head back. Everyone's eyes were on him but then shot off else where. He had been constantly watched since yesterday and it was starting to get annoying. He wondered how he might slip away, but a bright sight made him forget all about it. The orange and pink sun light filtered through the sliding glass doors that led to the patio. He went up and pressed his face to the glass, marveling at the outside world. Without warning the doors opened. Zoran stepped outside and gestured for him to do the same.

"Come on," she said. "Its okay."

Astro smiled and inched out, eyes roving the new surroundings. His eyes lowered to the grass eventually. He reached down and ran his hand across the soft green blades. A cool spring breeze came and pressed against his cheeks. Closing his eyes, the coming rain's scent soaked in. His heightened robotic senses could even feel the atmospheric pressure moving around them. When he looked up he could see the cloud patterns predicting when and where the rain was coming. Inside his mind, he knew what rain was but he didn't remember ever seeing it before. He tried to imagine what it might look like.

Off in the distance, he noticed buildings and cars over the tall flowering hedges containing the backyard. The sounds of the Metro City drifted in from all directions. His super enhanced hearing picked up all kinds of noises. People talking, cars going down the highway, construction, but most of all he could hear happiness. There was laughter, cheerful voices and singing. All of a sudden he felt very at home in this place.

Right on time the gray clouds covered up the morning sun and the rain began to fall. The first drop landed on his nose. A cry of excitement nearly escape his mouth, but instead a small "ah" of intrigue made it out. He raced out further into the back yard and opened his arms to catch the rain.

The others stood on the dry patio, smiling at his delight.

* * *

The downpour was still ongoing when the doctor returned. He followed the laughing voices to the kitchen. All three kids were at the table wrapped in fluffy light brown towels, their faces still damp from playing in the rain. Reno and Zoran were chatting back and forth with Astro between them, nodding every so often. Ms. Yuko and Nora were drying them off like doting older sisters.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one who had a shower," Dr. O'Shay observed light-heartedly.

"It was Astro's idea," Zoran smiled. "Right big brother?"

Astro grinned shyly, scratching his right temple. Dr. O'Shay chuckled and sat down with them. "Well I'm glad you all had some fun." He looked over at Yuko who had some heavy news behind her glad expression. At this he dismissed the kids to the livingroom. "Why don't you two take Astro and watch some T.V.?" When they were gone Yuko got down to business as Nora brought the doctor's breakfast.

"There is a psychologist who specializes in robots," she began with. "With kokoro robots becoming more and more common, Dr. Aika Nakamura, head of the Institute of Psychology, believes we should explore the human-like robot psyche so we can better make connections between both races."

Dr. O'Shay folded his arms, staring at his plate of eggs and sausages. "Where is the Institute?"

Yuko took a sip of coffee and said: "Its in Fukuoka, but she's already agreed, well actually she insisted, to come on the next flight out. She's very eager to meet both of you."

Dr. O'Shay leaned back to peek into the livingroom. The kids were getting along well even under the strained circumstances. Astro looked better today, but there was no telling what was underneath the surface.

* * *

"Who hired you?!"

The grungy man spat on the floor, obstinately looking away. Inspector Tawashi slammed his fist down on the table. It didn't shake the man in the least.

"If you don't talk soon, then I can't keep you here any longer. They'll take you and put you in Inoshishi Prison. You have many _colleagues_ there. I'm sure you know what to expect."

The begrimed face's bravado faltered for a second, but his will remained firm, unrelenting. The inspector shoved the table. It fell over and slid across the room loudly. Still nothing. With a grunt inspector Tawashi slammed the door behind him.

"Take him away!"


	4. Happy Birthday

Early the next morning, Dr. O'Shay set off alone for the ministry to meet with Dr. Nakamura. She arrived at his office shortly after he did, fully awake and ready for work.

She was a vibrant woman in her late forties, tall but not much taller than average. It was her thin figure, confident posture and black high heals that seemed to make her tower above everyone. Her turquoise eyes shimmered behind her narrow, rectangular red glasses. Long black bangs framed her round face that narrowed at the chin, giving her face a teardrop shape. The rest of her hair was tied up in a dumpling bun with a red pen in it. She was wearing a two piece skirt suit. The jacket was white with big black buttons and the skirt was black, reaching just over her knees. In her soft hands, with bright pink nails, she carried a metal suitcase with a combination lock.

"Good morning doctor, nice to meet you," she said.

"Same to you Dr. Nakamura," Dr. O'Shay replied.

They shook hands, sat down and got straight to work. "From what you told me over the phone, I think its best if we wait at least a week before any meetings with Astro. He seems to be progressing well, for a young robot possessing a human child-like psyche. However that could just be his strong nature persevering."

"If you think its best," Dr. O'Shay agreed. "But weren't you excited to meet him?"

Dr. Nakamura pointed finger up in the air and adjusted her glasses saying, "The health of the patient comes first."

_The health of the patient_. Dr. O'Shay found himself already liking this woman. She put her suitcase on the desk and said: "In the meantime, I'd like to take a look at all the data you have regarding his personality development prior to the abduction... and I'd like to see the video card of the abuse Ms. Yuko mentioned. Also, I have some ideas that might help resocialize him."

* * *

The door flew open at the foot of inspector Tawashi. Meanwhile, the A.R.R.S. went in with their guns raised. After waiting a moment in complete silence, he got the signal to come inside. It was a bunker much like the one they found Astro in, except there was an even more elaborate labyrinth of rooms.

The robot squad searched them all. Soon Delta brought a small micro-phone type component to the inspector. He answered Tawashi's unspoken question. "It belongs to Astro." Tawashi nodded. "Yes, its his right ear... one of the two pieces that were never recovered." He looked up at Delta with a pained look. "He was here at some point."

"Inspector!"

They turned to an officer running through the door.

"What is it?" Tawashi asked.

"Come outside, we found... we found..." the officer failed to finish, out of breath.

They followed him out, back up into the old glue factory. He showed them to an office on the west side overlooking the harbor, the moon's reflection scattered across the surface. Before they even entered the room, inspector Tawashi smelled it. It lessened the surprise of seeing the dead body behind the desk. Tawashi and Delta knelt down on each side, studying every detail. Most of all, the bruising around the dead man's neck. The inspector put a hanky to his nose.

"How long?" he asked Delta, his voice muffled behind the blue cloth.

Delta's eyes scanned over the body with yellow beams. The forensics results came up on his internal computer instantly. "The coroner will give you a more exact time, but I can tell you that its been at least seventeen days."

For a long time, no one said anything. Eventually, Tawashi stood up and started out the door, Delta close behind. "Do you think...? Could he have...?" Delta couldn't finish his own questions, fearing the answers. Inspector Tawashi gave him the usual stern look, but underneath a saddened, grieving vibe emitted from his very core. "He very well could have, and its our job to find out."

* * *

Astro held the rubik's cube over the headlines. Dr. O'Shay laughed as he put his news paper down. "Finished already?" The boy nodded zealously, still holding up the cube.

"Alright, but this is the last time."

Astro covered his eyes as the doctor reset the puzzle, so he wouldn't know the pattern. Over the past few days, they discovered how much Astro now loved puzzles. Anagrams, kakuro, connect the dots, jigsaw puzzles, pixel puzzles, the tangram, sokoban and spot the differnces. All these he master in just a few days. Dr. O'Shay had to specially make a five thousand piece rubik's cube to offer Astro _some_ challenge.

He set the cube down on the coffee table. Astro sat on the floor on the other side, waiting excitedly. Dr. O'Shay laughed before saying, "Ready...? Get set... Go!" Immediately after the word "go" Astro grabbed the cube and set to work.

A car pulled up outside. Dr. O'Shay went to see who it was, seeing that Astro had noticed it too, but remained undisturbed while working on his puzzle. It was a good sign that he was getting more and more comfortable at home.

Out the window the doctor saw Nora parking in the driveway. Zoran had already jumped out of the car with a cardboard box in her arms, now rushing to the back yard. Apparently their little _errand_ had gone well.

In record time, five minutes and twenty five seconds, Astro finished the rubik's cube. Then Dr. O'Shay said: "Let's go out back. We have a little surprize for you." Hearing this automatically put a wary expression on the boy's face. This told the doctor that he had heard that phrase before, and how it was meant.

"It's a present for you," Dr. O'Shay explained, waving him over.

Astro nodded and set his rubik's cube down. He followed the doctor, looking past him worriedly. When he saw Zoran smiling outside, it relaxed him some. She opened the sliding glass door and said: "Come and open your present big brother!"

She took his hand in both of hers to pull him along. They sat down at both sides of the box, hearing small rustling sounds inside. Astro stared at it for a while, trying to anticipate what was inside. A shrill bark came out and then a light brown puppy, springing into his arms. The little dog was licking his face, tail wagging madly. In an instant panic, Astro shot up to his feet. The whimpering pup slid off his lap and onto the grass. He stepped back behind Dr. O'Shay, gripping the white sleeve of his dress shirt, but the puppy wasn't offend. He simply rolled on his back, tongue hanging out, whimpering for attention.

"He wont' hurt you!" Zoran laughed, reaching down to pet him. "See? He's a good puppy. His name's Jump. We adopted him from the animal shelter."

Dr. O'Shay stepped to the side, leaving Astro out in the open.

"He's your dog now Astro," he said, bending down to pet the puppy too. "He's your birthday present."

"Happy birthday big brother!" Zoran chimed in happily.

Astro looked from her face to Dr. O'Shay's. Then his eyes fell on the dog's. They were big and brown, bright and hopeful. He already knew that dogs were loud, yapping creatures, full of love for their masters. At the same time though, they could be violent, made that way by violent treatment. It was in some ways similar to the abuse that made him cautious, but this dog was still young. Maybe he had not seen any such cruel person. If he had, Jump had rebounded beautifully.

Slowly, as he took on every new challenge these days, Astro knelt down and reached out for Jump, his hand shaking. However, once he stroked the dog's forehead, it was done. Their hearts connected and the new bond was sealed. A smile bloomed on his face, stretching from ear to ear. Jump licked his hand, getting back up on his feet.

Both Dr. O'Shay and Zoran smiled while watching Astro petting Jump.

"He knows who is master is," Zoran said. "And he's happy to meet you!"

She reached in the box, took out an armful of toys and set them on the ground. Astro picked up the blue rope and started a tug-of-war with Jump.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dr. O'Shay saw Nora inside at the front door. She had a brown package with white twine tied around it. Since she hadn't joined in on the fun, Dr. O'Shay knew something was wrong. Without raising any alarm or concern, he excused himself quietly. After he slid the door shut behind him, he asked her, "What is it?"

"This arrived while we were out," she answered. "It's addressed to Astro, but that's it. No stamp, no return address, no address at all. The tag just says Astro."

Dr. O'Shay raised an eyebrow. "Let me see." They went into his home office/library, closing that door behind them too. The doctor sat down with it at his desk and tore off the brown paper. Underneath that it was wrapped in more colorful paper, blue with patterns of birthday hats and confetti. A white envelope, that was addressed to him and not Astro, was slipped underneath the red ribbon, tied off into a flattened bow at the top.

Dr. O'Shay set the present aside and opened the envelope. He recognized the hand writing on the letter right away. His heart leapt into his throat when he read what was wrote.

On the yellow notebook paper Dr. Tenma had written...

* * *

_Dear Dr. O'Shay_

_For this anniversary of__ Astro's life, I put together a little gift._

_Since April fifteenth two years ago, I've watched Astro grow stronger day by day. He's grown quite well under your care, but if he's ever in need of a little extra help, I'm not too far away._

_Yours truly_

_Dr. Umataro Tenma_

* * *

He didn't know what to make of it at first. Dr. O'Shay just sat staring at the writing. Nora was right behind him, reading it over his shoulder.

"What do we do?" she asked once finished.

For a while he didn't answer. Finally he said: "What Dr. Nakamura said to do. We take it one step at a time."


	5. Party Crashers

Zoran found her favorite party dress, the green soft cotton overall dress with white daisies on the front. With it a white puckered neck shirt with long puffed sleeves. More Daisies were embroidered in gold here and there. To match she had a pair of green suede slip on shoes with big green bows and white lacy socks.

Nora glued magnets on the backs of a couple of white silk bows and put them on Zoran's head, just above her ears.

"Now there, don't you look nice?" Nora adored.

"Do you think Astro will like the party?" Zoran asked.

Nora adjusted the bows one last time and answered, "I think so. Reintroducing him to his old school friends might do him some good."

"But what it doesn't? What if something goes wrong?" Zoran persisted anxiously.

Nora turned her around from looking in the dresser mirror, hands gripping her shoulders firmly. "Astro will have his ups and downs, but he'll pull through. Just keep believing in him and supporting him." With a deflating sigh Zoran nodded, forcing a smile. Nora patted her back and said: "Why don't you go check on Astro? Make sure his bow tie is on right and all that."

Cheering up a little, Zoran fluttered out of the room. Down stairs she could hear Dr. O'Shay's voice faintly in the library. He sounded upset. She strayed a little down the first few steps and tuned in the dull frequencies. Then she heard inspector Tawashi's voice on the phone saying, "I expected as much. He disappeared from his cell about three weeks ago when Astro was still missing. The warden said that Dr. Tenma was very concerned that we hadn't found him yet."

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Dr. O'Shay demanded.

"There's a patrol near your house. You have enough on you plate as it is," Tawashi answered, and then quickly changed the subject. "So what was in the package?"

"It's not mine to open," the doctor replied.

"I see. Well then, let me know after the birthday boy opens his presents."

"How did you -"

"I've already spoken with Ms. Yuko about Tenma. She hasn't heard anything from him. The letter you've just received is the first contact he's made. Anyway, try to enjoy your holiday. Give me a call in the morning."

"I say inspector, are you being sensitive?"

"*_Ahem!_* I have to go, goodbye."

Nora touched Zoran's shoulder. The girl nearly shrieked in surprise. Her nanny-bot gave her a stern look. Her metal shell didn't allow any facial expression, but Zoran's empathic heart could feel it intensely. "Don't concern yourself with that. Go and see to Astro." In response, Zoran nodded meekly, and then got back on track. Just then Dr. O'Shay was coming out of the library. He looked to Nora at the top of the staircase. Before anything could be said some one knocked on the door. They already knew who it was before the doctor opened the door. Behind it four happy faces lit up. Above them Ms. Yuko, Momo and Kennedy's father, David, were smiling too, baring many balloons and birthday cake. Astro's school mates and Reno ran inside with presents, eager to see the birthday boy.

When Zoran pushed the bedroom door open, Astro was holding two bow ties. One was blue and the other red. He was facing Jump who was sitting on the bed, his tail wagging. It seemed that Astro was asking for the pup's opinion. For the party, Astro had put on a plaid green suit with shorts instead of pants. When he heard his sister giggle, his eyes met hers. He turned and showed her the two bow ties.

"Need a second opinion eh?"

A simple nod answered. She went inside and judged carefully. Her final decision was the red one.

"I like this one best."

Jump yipped happily as if he agreed too.

"Well, that's that then."

Zoran took it from Astro and asked, "May I?" Astro only smiled. By this, and the warm happy feeling in his heart, she knew the answer was "yes". While tying it on for him, she felt like Nora in a way. Caring for others gave her a sense of being whole, like she was meant to do it. She often dreamed of caring for children when she was older, either as a teacher or a nanny or even maybe a mother, but unfortunately robots don't grow up. Before Astro's kidnapping, they both had talked with Dr. O'Shay about it. He'd said that he would look into it.

"There. How is it? Not too tight?"

Astro shook his head once and then looked in the dresser mirror, approving of the decision. Beyond the door they heard young, excited voices. Astro looked at it nervously, until Zoran grabbed his hand.

"Sounds like the party guests are here," she said gleefully. "Are you ready?"

Astro gripped her hand tightly, trying to shroud his real feelings with a happy grin, but his eyebrows remained creased in anxiety. Zoran took that as "ready as I'll ever be." Jump leapt off the bed and ran for the door, barking excitedly. He nosed it open and ran ahead of them down the stairs.

As they descended together, Astro marveled at all the decorations put up while he was getting ready. There were small round lanterns and colorful streamers hanging from the ceiling. Balloons were tied to anything standing still and a mound of presents were on the coffee table. When they stepped off the last step, Astro saw them. Kennedy, Alejo and Abercrombie. They were all dressed formally for the occasion, looking as if on pin and needles but extremely happy to see him. One by one they reintroduced themselves, but never once did Astro utter a sound. He only looked at them nervously as he did anything or anyone new. Then there was an awkward silence where no one knew what to say or how to say it.

"H-How about we play beigoma?" suggested Kennedy finally.

"I brought the tops," Alejo said, taking them out of his bag.

"And I've got the board!" Abercrombie added.

Astro stood and watched them set it up. The board was folded three times. Laid out it had two retracting rods that tilted it up. There were seven tracks at the white starting line at the top. The tracks swerved from left to right all the way down to the bottom. A bright red button at the finish line turned on the different colored force fields that separated each track. Each had a point where the force fields were raised slightly off the board, creating a small hill. Since the board was made to look like a four-way stop, there were obstacles such as cars, people at the cross walks, kids on bikes and stray dogs and cats.

Elejo gave everyone a clear electric top that lit up in different colors. He handed Astro one with red lights. It was heavier than a normal spinning top, but not much bigger.

"Remember how to play?" Elejo asked.

Astro shook his head.

"Well, you put these tops at the starting line and the first to reach the bottom wins," Elejo explained.

"And you have to turn your statistics computer off!" said Abercrombie pointing a finger at Astro, who gave him an expression that asked, "Why?"

Knowing him so well, Abercrombie was able to answer, "Because it sucks the fun out of the game."

Astro was still confused, so Kennedy elaborated. "It's not fun if you already know who's going to win."

Astro changed his expression to one of "Ooh, okay." So he did what he was asked. Elejo had handed out six tops to all the kids, but there was a blue one left over. Astro took it to Dr. O'Shay with pleading eyes. How could the good doctor refuse? He laughed and asked, "Why not?"

They played for almost an hour, laughing a lot and fighting very little. Abercrombie and Elejo only argued a little over who won the last race. This was solved easily by Reno holding a rematch just between the two. Elejo won and Abercrombie admitted defeat honorably. As they joked about it, Astro laughed a little to everyone's surprise. While they tried not to make a big deal of it, everyone couldn't help wearing their joy and relief brightly on their faces.

With beigoma officially at an end, they ate cake. Astro was built to differentiate between a vast palette of tastes, and convert certain foods into energy, but he didn't really enjoy eating that much. Still, he enjoyed being apart of meals and occasional deserts like this. Sharing, in this simple little thing, brought him a deep feeling of closeness with his human family members. He was very grateful for it, now more than he could ever remember.

When cake time was over they moved on to presents. Somehow Astro just happened to pick Dr. Tenma's present first. Unconsciously, Dr. O'Shay leaned forward while he watched intently. The birthday boy unwrapped it quickly, precisely pulling at the taped edges. He laid the unscathed paper aside as he looked at the red cardboard box. Under the lid he discovered an antique wooden kendama. The spiked handle was red and the cups yellow. On the handle three green rings were painted on delicately. On the bottom, two initials were carved in. They were U.T. What this meant he didn't know, but the old toy fascinated him. It wasn't at all like the modern-day kendama that had three balls instead of one. Also it didn't work with magnetic fields. The single yellow rubber ball was connected to the center of the handle with a white cord.

He tried it out, finding it difficult at first to land the ball on either the spike or one of the cups. But in no time he conquered the game. Everyone clapped at his victory. Afraid to offend someone, he reluctantly put the toy down to open his other presents. The next gift was from Kennedy. It was a red folding hover scooter which he promised to show Astro how to use later. Abercrombie excitedly pushed his present in Astro's lap next. It was a blue and yellow remote-controlled car with two racers inside. They could even be taken out and had different outfits. Astro smiled politely and moved on to Elejo's present. It was a model airplane kit with paints, brushes, glue and screws. Elejo happily promised to help him with it if Astro wanted him too.

The last three gifts were from Ms. Yuko and Dr. O'Shay. Ms. Yuko had bought Astro a Harley action figure that came with his team of rocket ball players. Dr. O'Shay provided the plastic playing field and the red opposing team.

They were all such wonderful presents and he love them all, but there was still one more. Zoran had made him a braided cord bracelet of white and red with a single charm on it. It was a round silver charm that had the character for family on it. This he loved most of all. To say thanks he put it on and took her hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

"Your welcome," she replied.

While Astro and the kids were playing with the presents, everyone started talking. The adults were caught up in conversation about current events and the children about games and television shows. During all the loud chatter, Astro heard a soft knock at the front door. He looked around and no one else had noticed it. The knock returned and again no one heard it. Assuming it was a late party guest, Astro got up to answer the door. As soon as he unlocked it, it swung open to a mob of loud reporters sticking microphones in his face.

"**How are you doing Astro?!**"

"**How were you rescued Astro?!**"

"**Did you escape Astro?!**"

"**Who was holding you prisoner Astro?!**"

"**Did your experience traumatize you Astro?!**"

The impact of the sudden roar of clamorous voices and flashing cameras sent him falling back, shielding his eyes and screaming. Immediately Dr. O'Shay and Ms. Yuko sprung into action. They ran to the door and shoved it closed against the invasive reporters. Police lights flared against the white curtains blocking the rude strangers' view inside. When the doctor turned around Astro was still on the floor, but he was convulsing violently. His eyes had gone out, black with small glints of white static. Everyone else was around him, trying to do something to help him. Dr. O'Shay shoved them out of the way and knelt next to him. Astro had his hands over his throat as if to scratch at it but couldn't. Dr. O'Shay told Yuko to hold his arms out of the way as he unbuttoned Astro's shirt. The doctor opened the chest panel and saw blue electricity sparking around Astro's electronic brain. With his heart beating in his ears he realized what was happening.

Dr. O'Shay darted off into his office/library and came back with a glowing white rod. His knees skidded to a stop in front of Astro. He pressed a button on the metal handle in the middle of the rod and then ordered everyone to stand back.

Then he raised the rod over his head and jammed it down into Astro's chest. Electric sparks burst from it like lightning bolts, stretching up to the ceiling. Astro froze until it stopped, but when it was over his eyes closed slowly and his body went limp.

Dr. O'Shay scooped him up, looked to Reno and said: "Come with me. We don't have much time."


	6. Break Down

Dr. O'Shay and Reno left everyone behind and ran into the library, slamming the door shut behind them. Zoran clung on to Ms. Yuko, crying, "Is he going to be alright?! He will right?!" Ms. Yuko stroked the back of her head saying, "Yes, just give them some time."

Dr. O'Shay cleared his desk with one sweep of his arm. Then he laid Astro down. He instructed Reno to plug Astro into the computer. While the young engineer worked on this, the doctor opened up Astro's head, carefully prying the black metal scalp back with a flathead screwdriver. Underneath his memory units were revealed, floating inside a clear orb filled with blue glowing liquid. The units themselves were like amoebas with three or four white nuclei that resembled far away stars.

Twelve metal tubes were feeding in more fluids and filtering them out, lighting up in the orb like small auroras. It was already boiling inside, causing the memory units to swell.

"He's connected!" Reno exclaimed when he was finished.

Dr. O'Shay went to the computer. Drumming his fingers quickly on the keyboard, he initiated three programs and a live step-by-step diagnostic. Then he returned to Astro to watch the progress inside his skull. Slowly the fluids cooled and the memory units shrunk back to normal size. It took nearly forty-five minutes. While this was still going on, Reno kept his eyes glued to the computer screen, watching for any dangerous changes.

"What happened?" he asked.

Dr. O'Shay released a shaky sigh. "The mechanical equivalent to a seizure."

Reno glanced at the doctor quickly before looking back to the computer screen.

"How?" he asked confusedly.

Dr. O'Shay pulled the computer chair near him to sit down while watching Astro's progress. "Not a single scientist in history has ever been able to replicate the human brain, but Dr. Tenma has come farther than anyone could've dreamed." He guestured to Astro's skull. "This is his cranial database. This is the part of him that retains motor memory. It operates much like a human brain, sending out electrical signals through his electronic nervous system to control how his body moves. There are some instances when abnormal signals change how he would normally function. This can result in convulsions; seizures."

"But what caused the abnormal signals?" Reno persisted impatiently.

"He simply overheated. It could be a malfunction, but there's the emotional factor too. You see, when Astro experiences moments of extreme fear, confusion and distress, sometimes his circulatory system can go into overdrive. Do you remember being afraid and feeling your heart race? Well his heart is capable of pumping at such a high velocity that it can superheat all the fluids in his body, causing him to 'melt down' or worse... He could explode, but I've never seen it reach this extent until now. Luckily we caught it in time."

"So he was nearly scared to death?"

Dr. O'Shay nodded once heavily. This new piece of information was frightening to Reno. He could have never imagined Astro being that afraid. It was completely out of character. Then again who would be the same after what he went through. Whatever that was.

"Reno," Dr. O'Shay began, drawing him out of his thoughts. "I didn't want to expose you to any of this, but... I'm not going to be around forever. Astro will need someone to be there for him when I'm gone. I want you to learn everything you can."

Reno was scared at the thought of that too. Dr. O'Shay was like a sixth father to him. How would they get along without him? Then his eyes fell on Astro's expressionless face. They were already like brothers. He knew they'd get each other through, and that he would look out for Astro, being the older brother.

Suddenly Astro's fingers twitched. A beep from the computer indicated that the recovery process was complete. "He's coming back online, doctor."

Dr. O'Shay quickly closed Astro's head back up and ran around to his line of sight. It was dark inside, except for the computer screen. No one had bothered switching the lights on, so when Astro woke up he thought he was somewhere else. As his eyes were coming into focus, doctor O'Shay grabbed his hand. "How do you feel, Astro?!" Automatically, Astro thought he was back in that bunker. With his thoughts racing he could hardly tell it was Dr. O'Shay's voice. Flying into an angry panic he clenched the doctor's wrist hard, hearing a snap.

_"I won't stay here! Not again! You can't hold me anymore!" _he thought.

He growled lowly as he twisted the doctor's arm. He heard a "yelp" of pain and pushed the man across the room. Books and pictures fell off the shelf above him, some of them landing on his head first.

"Astro!" Reno cried.

Immediately Astro's head snapped towards Reno, his sight fully focused now.

"Its us," the boy said. "We're not going to hurt you."

In an instant Astro realized what he'd done. He slowly turned his eyes to Dr. O'Shay. The doctor was cradling his left wrist, looking back worriedly.

"It's okay Astro," he tried to comfort.

A tremble shook Astro's hands, he brought them up to his face.

_"That's right... I've done this before... But now... Oh no..."_

His face contorted with pain and grief. He couldn't stand looking at what he'd done. He couldn't stand himself. To the great and everlasting shock of Dr. O'Shay and Reno, Astro laid his right hand down on the desk, and beat it hopelessly broken with the other. He grunted and cried as small pieces fell to the floor. Drops of blue coolant ran down his cheeks in the place of tears. Dr. O'Shay had never seen him cry before. Dr. Tenma had built him with that function, but Astro had never used it until now.

Finally Dr. O'Shay was able to overcome his shock to try and stop Astro from destroying himself. "Stop Astro! It's okay, really! Please stop!" Dr. O'Shay tried to grab Astro's fist but, before he even touched him, Astro got up and bolted out the door.

"Astro!" the doctor and Reno called together, running after him.

As soon as they stepped out of the library they heard glass shatter. They saw everyone else looking at the patio doors. Following their eyes, Dr O'Shay saw Astro's fleeting back running through the hedges. Then he was gone.

"Astrooo!"


	7. A Father's Love

His vision was growing dark in the already dark alley way. Policemen went rushing by but never looked. Astro was standing behind an old rusted dumpster, waiting for them to pass.

His energy was low and getting lower by the second. He fell back against the brick wall, and then sliding down into a slump. A raindrop shattered on his forehead, shortly followed by a rapid rainfall. It seemed the bottom fell out of heaven, and its tears were drenching the earth. He couldn't stop watching it, raising his head towards the strokes of lightning. Briefly it lit up the alley, showing every crack and crevice. Every piece of trash and lost treasures.

He wondered for a moment if this was where he belonged, under piles of trash, to be forgotten and eventually fade away with time. What he was capable of... what he had done... He just wanted to forget it all. Anything that mattered to him was tainted by his past and would condemn the future of those closest to him. He just wanted to rust away under the rain, the pieces of his broken mind to wash down the storm drains.

The rain mesmerized him, pushing those thoughts out of his head. It gave him the little bit of strength he needed to get up and move on.

He walked for hours, not really knowing where he was going. His vision was getting worse, blurring under the heavy stress to keep moving. Finally he found what he was looking for. A house that looked a hundreds years old, but only because of neglect. The towering black gate was wide open, as if someone was waiting for him. He stumbled down the path to the dark brown doors that were also open. Every step he took he swayed, just a few more away from draining his last bit of energy. Before he ran out he collapsed on the floor, soaking the carpet with the perfect shape of his body.

A man walked in from a different room, small red boots accompanying him.

"There you are. I had a feeling you'd show up here." said the man.

Astro tried to look up at him as the man squatted down. The stranger's eyes lit up above his long nose when the lightning flashed through the windows. They looked upon him as if peering through dirty glass. It was as if his true eyes were trying to stay hidden. A boy's face lowered down next to his. Astro's eyes widened as he realized how much the boy looked like him. This boy appeared concerned, staring from his face to his broken hand.

"What have you done to yourself?" the man asked.

He reached down to pick Astro up, but he whimpered objectively, trying to jerk himself away from the open hands.

"I won't hurt you Astro."

The mysterious boy finally pipped up. "Father only wants to help you little brother."

Those were the last words Astro heard before he blacked out.

* * *

Inspector Tawashi burst through the white door. The sad doctor was sitting on a pristine hospital bed, barely. It was everything Ms. Yuko and the nurse bot could do to keep him there. His wrist was fitted with a blue wrist band, nearly stretching up to his elbow. It was hard plastic, but padded inside, restricting too much movement.

Their eyes met and he settled down a bit.

"Have you found him?" the doctor asked.

Tawashi shook his head. "No, not yet."

Dr. O'Shay grunted in aggravation, pushing himself off the bed. "I have to find him!" The inspector himself gently pushed the doctor back down with firm hands.

"My men are taking care of that. There's something important we need to discuss."

Dr. O'Shay was frustrated, but tried to resist enough to listen to the inspector.

Tawashi displayed a hologram of a surveillance video from his phone.

"Almost an hour after Astro took off, there was a break in at the Ministry of Science."

The surveillance video showed Dr. Tenma leaving through the front doors, with his pact of robot dogs and a robot the doctor had never seen before. The robot was short, but taller than Astro and looking remarkably like him. There were very few differences. Longer features in his face and height. The eyes were darker, but still bright and innocent. He looked happy and curious, holding Tenma's hand like they were father and son.

"Have you ever seen this robot before?" Tawashi asked.

The doctor shook his head silently. "Is he... planning to take Astro again...?" The excruciating pain soaked his expression.

Bleakness...

Exhaustion...

Provoked wrath...

Impatience...

He couldn't stand the thought of loosing Astro again. It had nearly killed him the last time.

"I don't know..." Tawashi answered finally.

With a loud roar Dr. O'Shay tried to push his way past the inspector, but was shoved back down. He gnashed his teeth, angrily staring burning holes through Tawashi.

"That boy... That boy is my child," Dr. O'Shay seethed, frustrated tears streaming down his face. "If you had a son, and he was missing, wouldn't you spend your every waking moment looking for him?!" Inspector Tawashi's face softened. "I _do_ have a son... and he's out there looking for yours." Something snapped in the doctor. The dam that had cracked was broken now, rushing black waves flowing steadily through. Dr. O'Shay put his head in his hands and started to sob.

Out of respect no one touched him. No one said anything. The inspector spared a look at Ms. Yuko. She was wiping silent tears from her eyes. He could only stand it a few minutes. Then he left quickly before it got to him too.

Outside Zoran and Nora were waiting, sitting tensely on some red chairs. As soon as they saw him, Zoran leapt out of her chair and ran towards him. She clung to his coat, crying.

"You'll find my brother?" she asked.

Tawashi pulled her away and knelt down on her level, his hands gripping her shoulders.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he promised.

Zoran's bottom lip quivered. "I-"

"You will stay here."

Her big eyes, brimming with grief, shone up at him confusedly.

"This is where Dr. O'Shay needs you."

Zoran nodded. "O-Okay."

Dr. Nakamura threw the doors to the waiting room open. She sped by the surprised, flustered nurses and faced inspector Tawashi. He stood up, raising an eyebrow.

"And you are...?" he asked.

"I'm Astro's psychologist. Have you made any progress?" she answered straight away.

The woman looked like she had already spent a long day, eyes dulled with endless computer work. Her face however, was burning with anxiety.

"Not as of yet," the inspector answered.

"He's isn't familiar with the city yet, but he'll try to find a place of solace, where he can get his thoughts straight," she said, and then putting a finger to her lip as if she were still thinking.

"Would you like to come with me?" Tawashi asked.

At that she perked up. "Of course!"

* * *

While he systems were coming back online, he heard their voices over him.

"Will he be alright father?"

"Yes... and you shouldn't call me that anymore Jetto."

"Why?"

"Because you have a real family waiting for you with Astro."

When he opened his eyes they stopped talking and were watching him closely.

Dr. Tenma smiled fondly as Astro sat up.

"There now... Do you feel better?" the doctor asked.

Astro didn't answer right away. First he looked at the new surroundings. They appeared to be in a flying ship. It was confirmed by glancing out the window behind him, the city lights twinkling below.

He noticed his hand in the window's reflection. It was fully repaired and was laced with new skin. He tested it out, flexing his fingers and wiggling them.

Satisfied with that, Dr. Tenma rose up from his seat beside him. "I'll take you two home now. You may want to use this time to get better acquainted." Dr. Tenma left them to steer the ship back to the ministry.

Jetto took the empty chair and introduced himself. "Hello Astro, I'm your brother Jetto." Automatically but awkwardly, Astro offered his hand. Jetto shook it and smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he said.

* * *

By the time Dr. Nakamura and inspector Tawashi got the house, in section K2-20, it was too late. There was evidence of Astro and Dr. Tenma being there, but not a clue as to where they went after.

"What now?" Tawashi asked, his voice agitated.

"We go to the back to the ministry," Delta answered as he stepped through the doors.

The inspector shot him a confused look. "What?"

"I just received word that Astro and the unidentified robot arrived just moments ago, but Dr. Tenma is nowhere to be found."

Dr. Nakamura and inspector Tawashi blinked at each other. Aika cleared her throat and said: "After you inspector."

* * *

Dr. O'Shay didn't know Astro was there until his head peeked around the door. The doctor stood up from behind his desk, awestruck.

"Astro?" he asked.

Meekly, Astro inched further inside, looking like a child about to be scolded. He kept his head down in guilt. He was surprised when Dr. O'Shay dashed over to him with open arms. A voice in the back of his head told him Astro wouldn't like it, but his joy and relief tuned it out. He pulled the boy into a tight hug, holding the back of his head and rocking him back and forth.

"Don't you ever leave me like that again... ever!" he whispered.

With great conviction, Astro remembered what Dr. Tenma had told him before he dropped them off.

_"Astro, Dr. O'Shay cares for you very much. It hurts his heart when you're away from him like this. A father can't bear the thought of his child wandering out in the unknown without a hand to hold. To him, you are his entire life."_

He felt Dr. O'Shay's ragged breaths against his ear, making tears well up in his eyes. With trembling arms he hugged Dr. O'Shay back.

"I... I'm sorry."

The doctor pulled away enough to look at his face.

"What did you just say?" Dr. O'Shay asked him.

Astro wouldn't answer. The boy's mouth was shut tight, completely unwilling to relent another word, but he looked truely sorry for what he'd done.

"I'm sorry too," the doctor said.


	8. Peering Into The Dark

Soft, even breaths drifted through the silence in the large office. After almost an hour of weeping, Astro was asleep now in Dr. O'Shay's arms. Now the worn leather chair had done its work. The doctor had an incredible backache. It pop and crackled as he slowly rose up. He kept moving slowly as he carried Astro on his right hip with his good arm.

On the way to the diagnosis ward, he had to pass through Ms. Yuko's office just outside his own. At her desk inspector Tawashi was interrogating Jetto with Dr. Nakamura. They stopped talking until Dr. O'Shay had left. Picking up where he left off, inspector Tawashi asked, "Do you know why you were sealed away?" Jetto nodded before he answered. "Yes, I was a failure, so I was shut down and labeled as a prototype."

"Didn't you harbor any hard feelings towards the next model, Astro?" Dr. Nakamura asked.

Jetto cringed a little. "I did at first, so before I was locked up I snuck away to see... to see what was the difference between him and me. When I found him, I looked into his heart and I understood."

Tawashi and Aika raised their eyebrows.

"What did you find?" she asked.

Jetto put a hand over his chest to emphasize what he explained. "His heart, while still in the making, was bright and warm, full of courage. He was so much different. Then I decided. If there was something I could do, it was this one small thing. To step out of the way and let him live and be happy. All I ever want for him is to be happy. I'll do whatever it takes. Isn't that what older brothers do?"

Dr. Nakamura couldn't help but smile as she looked to inspector Tawashi. "I don't think you have to worry about this one," she said resolutely.

Then she promptly rose up and reached for Jetto's hand. "Come on. Would you like to see him?" Jetto smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

Everything was showing up good on the scan, in fact more than good. Dr. O'Shay had struggled greatly putting Astro back to gether. The surviving schematics in Tenma's files didn't cover half of his complex anatomy. The repair work Dr. O'Shay did after the explosion following the Robotonia incident wasn't nearly as difficult. He was building onto what was already there. The task of completely restoring Astro to his former self was much harder.

While Astro was with him last night, Dr. Tenma went over everything with a fine toothed comb. Looking at his repair work, Dr. O'Shay realized where he went wrong and how inferior he was compared this mysterious man.

"_Tenma may have created him, and knows how to take care of him, but _I'm _Astro's real father,_" he decided in his head.

In the end it was instinct than a mere decision. Connecting with Astro on a father-son level was easy. As he finished up the scan, he thought of Jetto, and wondered if it was be as easy. Bringing him into the family went without saying, but would Jetto want to?

As if on cue the boy and Dr. Nakamura came through the door. Jetto immediately went to Astro's side, glancing at Dr. O'Shay briefly.

By just touching his little brother's hand he was able to understand his condition, physically and emotionally.

"I wish I could help him," Jetto said forlornly.

It was the same tone Dr. O'Shay carried in his voice everyday. The deep concern on the boy's face told him that they wouldn't have any problems. Dr. Nakamura shared a knowing look with him, showing that she too had the same questions already put to rest.

He was a little nervous, but an assuring smile from her helped. Then he went over to Jetto and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked.

Jetto nodded a bit meekly.

"Alright," Dr. O'Shay replied.

He went to pick Astro up, but the pain in his wrist made him draw back, cringing slightly. Jetto frowned worriedly and said: "I'll carry him." He grabbed Astro's arms and gently pulled him onto his back, carrying him piggy-back style. The doctors smiled at him fondly.

"Thank you Jetto."

Dr. Nakamura went with them out to the car. Then she asked, "Jetto, could you wait inside with Astro for a minute?" Jetto complied and went inside. After she shut the door behind him she looked at Dr. O'Shay seriously. "I heard some of the details from inspector Tawashi, but I need to know what exactly set him off."

Dr. O'Shay sighed tiredly before explaining everything. She listened patiently without a word until the end.

"He thought he was back in the bunker," she concluded.

Dr. O'Shay rubbed the back of his neck. "When he came back, he said he was sorry." Dr. Nakamura's eyes lit up excitedly. "Did he say anything else?"

"No... but that's progress. Isn't it?" he asked uncertainly.

She folded her arms, biting on her lower lip. "It's a start. I think its time Astro and I officially meet. I'll make a house call tomorrow afternoon."

They noticed Jetto watching them from passenger seat, Astro's head laying on his shoulder. The pair looked incredibly adorable, Jetto's arm wrapped around Astro.

"I think Jetto won't have any problems adjusting," she said before she opened the door. "Be careful and don't drive by hand."

Dr. O'Shay chuckled. "Thanks."

* * *

Inspector Tawashi rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he entered his office. Delta, never tiring, was still hard at work on the computer.

"How are they?" he asked.

Tawashi gave him an amused smirk. "It's not like you to get involved like this." If Delta could have blushed, he would have that moment. Knowing him so well, Tawashi could see it beneath his hard exterior.

"I... I was just-"

"It's alright. I know how you feel."

Delta watched the inspector's face as he took his place at the desk. "Everyone's fine, except Dr. O'Shay's wrist of course. He's taking the boys home now."

Embarrassment forgotten, Delta's heart was lightened with the relief. It was not to last.

Two well dressed men came through the door abruptly without apology. One was tall, bald and slim but muscular. The features of his face were small; eyes beady and black, nose small and round, mouth seemingly lipless and in a short tight line. The other was incredibly short, probably just above four feet, with stringy black hair that draped down around his bald crown. His nose wasn't very large, average size, but his nostrils were humongous like a hippo's. The tiny curly mustache underneath could have been easily mistaken for nose hair.

Both men were old, fifties or higher. The tall one introduced himself right away.

"Inspector, I'm superintendent general Hideo Watanabe and this is-"

Tawashi shot up from his seat and sneered.

"Superintendent supervisor Junichi Ishikawa. Your dirty little yes man. I know," he finished for the superintendent general. "What does the CIB want here?"

Before the conversation went any further, Ishikawa stuttered in a high-pitched, irritated voice, "I-I'm not l-little!"

A following silence of fierce glares lasted nearly five minutes, and then Watanabe answered Tawashi's question. "The

Criminal Investigation Bureau is taking over your case."

Tawashi scoffed.

"It's an open and closed justifiable homicide," Tawashi said stoutly. "There aren't any leads to the robot responsible for professor Kinjo's death. Besides that, the evidence proves that it was in self-defense and was _not_ intended to end in murder."

Watanabe leaned on the desk, his cold eyes calculating as he sized the inspector up. "The evidence also proves that this action was taken by a kokoro robot. You may have gotten lazy these last few years inspector, but this is a serious case. It's the first time a robot of free thought has killed a human being and should not be taken so lightly."

He stepped back and composed himself. "The superintendent supervisor will collect all the files you have."

As he said this, Ishikawa was hooking his lap top to Tawashi's computer. Once the download was finished they left without another word. Angrily, Tawashi slammed the door shut after them. He looked at Delta and asked, "You know what they're up to don't you?" Delta answered soberly, "They're going to build a case against Astro." Tawashi put his hat and jacket back on roughly.

"Maybe I have gotten lazy," he admitted bitterly. "We'd better start building our case."

* * *

It was noon when Dr. O'Shay woke up. He and the rest of the family had only just gotten into bed at four. He crept through the quiet house, checking in on everyone. The boys' room was his last stop. Jetto had been set up on an inflatable matres next to Astro's bed. He was sleeping deeply, but Astro was just beneath the surface, drowning in memories. He stirred, twitching and jerking while dreaming. For a moment Dr. O'Shay wondered what must be going on. Then he thought of the video card he'd yet to watch. A twinge of guilt pricked his heart. He felt ashamed that he hadn't brought himself to face Astro's abuse, because of his own weak tolerance.

Quietly he went down to his library. The card was still in the desk drawer where he'd left it days ago. Dr. Nakamura had finished it the day after she asked for it. All she would say was that he needed to see it.

He swallowed dryly as he inserted it into the computer. He turned on the screen and waited for it to load.

Meanwhile Astro was still dreaming, going back to the first day he could remember of that dark room.

**Day 1**

_There was only the light of something sparking on the other end of the room. It was blue and flashed violently. He couldn't see anything clearly. Mostly it was like snow off of an old television, but was transparent. Beyond the thin fuzzy snow he could make out strange silhouettes when the sparks went off._

_He realized right away that something was wrong with his eyes. The world was not meant to be seen this way, but what was the world? Was this it?_

_As soon as he tried to raise off of the table he was lying on, the sparks stopped. Something or someone moved._

_"Who's there?" Astro asked with a small voice._

_No one answered, but he could hear the sound of clothes swaying, as if someone turned around._

_"Who are you? What is this place?" Astro asked, more boldly this time._

_Foot steps came towards him slowly. They were strange. According to his data banks, normal foot steps didn't sound like that._

**_*_Stomp**_***Draaag***_**Stomp_*Draaag*_Stomp_*Draaag*_**

_"Why am I here?" Astro asked lastly, still awaiting a reply._

_Without warning a hand slammed his head down on the table, pressing the smell of oil into his face. He tried to escape from the hand holding him down, but found himself powerless._

_"It's no use. I disabled all your super abilities." said the low, raspy voice._

_Astro continued to struggle, which brought on the painful jolt of electricity. Some kind of electric stunner was jammed into his neck. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He couldn't move except to jerk erratically._

_When it finally stopped, Astro asked, "W-Why?"_

_The man lit a cigar. The light of the match showed Astro the shape of the man's face; narrow with fluffy grey hair._

_"Since it is your reason for being, I will tell you that much," the man said after a long draw on the cigar. "You're here for the progress of science... which means you'll be the subject of many experiments."_

_He took another long draw._

_"The best way to survive this and realize your true purpose is to submit completely. You must only speak when asked to, obey every command and never question my authority. Understand?"_

_"Yes," Astro murmured._

_The man flipped a switch. Restraints clamped down on Astro's wrists, ankles, neck and chest._

_"Good," the man said. "Now be still. I need your eyes for a while."_

_Astro tried not to scream as the scientist set to work._


	9. Unanswered Questions

**Day 2**

_Surrounded by complete darkness, every sound was his only connection to his environment. In completely loosing his sight, as weak as it was, he discovered how well he could hear._

_The tweaking sounds from the work of professor Kinjo's hands came directly ten feet to the right. The sound waves bounced all around the room. Astro could feel every vibration and vividly hear the slightest sound. Like reversed bat sonar amplified a thousand times over, he could almost feel the shapes of the things inside the room. The table he was on, the chair in the corner, the computer next to the door and a few of the tools on the counter next to him._

_As of now the professor finished whatever it was he was doing. He pinched the space between his eyes as if it would relieve the stress. Then he went over to the counter. Astro heard him pick up something metal. He knew it was metal because it briefly scraped against the steel counter top. What he grabbed after that, was a little harder to guess._

_The professor pulled a computer chair up to the table. He lit another cigar before he wiped his scalpel. The restraints were already secure, but professor Kinjo checked again anyway. Then he made the first incision._

_Astro's skin was linked to his body as part of his anatomy. Tiny red electrical cords attached the outer layer. Having a knife pierce his skin wasn't nearly as painful as having it torn away with pliers. As the cords were broken, it set off painful charges of electricity. Astro couldn't help but cry out._

_"Be quiet!" Kinjo roared. "Robots don't feel pain."_

_Astro's body tensed up as he was shocked with electric stunner again. _Why do I?

_When it stopped Kinjo went back to stripping his skin in small squares. If Astro so much as whimpered, Kinjo would shock him again. Eventually the professor realized that it was impossible to go on without Astro crying, so he muted his voice box. Fortunately Kinjo stopped at Astro's face, but it was no act of mercy. The skin was too sensitive in that area and would cause too much damage. His cold disregard for Astro was only countered by the fact that the robot boy was the subject of study. Any unnecessary damage would set his research back and he was pressed for time._

**Day 4**

_Someone Astro had never heard before came into the room. His name was never mentioned so all he had to identify him with was a voice. His eyes still hadn't been returned yet, so voices were all he had anyway._

_The man who had come to see the professor was tall, speaking with a slow, lazy voice as if nothing mattered._

_Apparently he had brought something for the professor. It must have been useful because he was very happy to receive it. Immediately after the indolent man left, Kinjo put it to use. It was a vile of nanites; a type of small invasive robots that probe where human hands cannot._

_Professor Kinjo injected these nanites in Astro's heart. From there they could spread throughout his body, hitchhiking on the electrical currents of his circulatory system. Being aware of all his mechanical functions, he could feel the robotic insects invading his entire body. It was strange, having them crawl all over his insides. It was not a tickling sensation or painful but sort of like static, kind of like a pricking feeling._

_All at once they suddenly stopped moving, having found their individual destinations. A small, high-pitched hum resonated from each of them. Professor Kinjo couldn't hear it, but it was ringing in Astro's ears. When they simultaneously stopped, they all released static in a series of small bursts, each with its own order. Now this was painful._

_Astro's voice box was still muted, but his mouth opened as to scream in agony. Tears ran down the sides of his face, trickling past his ears and onto the table._

_The professor would have _admonished _him again, but it would disrupt the nanites' work. Instead he said: "Stop that! Robots don't cry." Deep in his heart, Astro despaired over this question, _Why? Why do I? Why am I not a normal robot?_ How he wished in that moment not to feel anything. Misery. Despair. Confusion. Doubt. Shame. His life thus far had never shown him happiness or hope. If it meant sacrificing these, forever never knowing, he would if it got him away from here. It didn't have to be any place in particular. A void of darkness would be better than this place, never knowing what excruciating experience was next._

* * *

Dr. O'Shay had to stop there for today. Listening to that horrible man made him want to beat him to death.

He shoved the computer chair back as he got up to pace the room. In working out his raging frustration, he heard the children playing. It seemed that they had been up a while. He stopped and listened. They had only briefly met late last night, but already they sounded like close siblings.

It drew him away from the paused video to the living room. Jetto was chasing Zoran and Astro with fuzzy black antennae on his head. Soft matching rubber gloves with long nails helped portray the allen he was pretending to be.

"I'm gonna getcha!" he said, trying on a scary voice.

Zoran giggled wildly as she ran with Astro smiling in tow.

"Go ahead and try!" she challenged.

Neither she nor Astro was watching where they were going. They plowed right into Dr. O'Shay. They tumbled over him as he fell, landing on their stomaches behind his head. Jetto ran over to them.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Dr. O'Shay laughed as he got up painfully. Trying to hide the pain in his wrist, he grinned and said: "I'm fine, how are you two?"

Zoran popped and replied, "We're okay, right Astro?" Astro nodded in agreement, smiling shyly. Then he noticed the doctor's fingers twitching, and then the slight shaking underneath the blue wristband. Guiltily he turned his head, frowning sadly.

Dr. O'Shay reached out to him, but Astro jerked away from his hand. In silence no one moved, not knowing what to do next. A knock on the door reanimated them. Nora floated out of the kitchen to answer it. It was Dr. Nakamura. The sun was bright behind her figure, curvy underneath her casual clothes. Today she was wearing a soft, powder pink sweater with tan capris and red leather sandals. Her hair was let down but her bangs were held back by a red headband.

Everyone rose up off the floor as she stepped inside.

"Hello everyone," she greeted sweetly.

Dr. O'Shay went over and shook her hand. "It's good to see you again doctor."

The children came up curiously, lining up in front of the two doctors.

"Who's this Dr. O'Shay?" Zoran asked.

At first he didn't answer. Jetto's eyes connected with his. Without having been told to, the boy somehow already knew to stay silent, going on as if it was his first time meeting her. It would be better for now if Astro didn't know she was here to see him in particular, as her new patient.

"This is my new friend Dr. Nakamura. She comes from Fukuoka," Dr. O'Shay explained finally.

Dr. Nakamura bent down to their eye level and said: "It's so nice to meet you all, I've heard so many good things about you."

Zoran and Jetto replied together, "It's nice to meet you too."

The ice was officially broken with Zoran, but she looked like she was figuring things out, glancing over at Jetto a few times. On the other hand Astro was distant. It seemed that he didn't care why she was there at all and wished she'd leave.

"Oh, is that a Star Chasers costume?" Dr. Nakamura asked Jetto.

"Yeah, Zoran and Astro were showing me how to play," he answered.

Zoran pipped up. "Astro has _all _the Star Chasers mangas!"

"_Perfect_," Dr. Nakamura thought.

"Really?" she asked.

Astro nodded once, remaining silent.

"May I see? I like Star Chasers too."

He nodded again. She and Jetto followed him upstairs. Meanwhile Zoran stayed behind and asked Dr. O'Shay, "Who is that lady really doctor?" The doctor smiled as he patted her head.

* * *

The bedroom was homey and large enough for the boys to share, but a proper bed situation was needed. Both Astro's and Jetto's beds were neatly made up and the room was spotless, save a few toys in the middle of the floor.

On the book shelf next to the computer desk was where the comics were kept, on the bottom shelf with coloring books.

Astro slipped out the first issue and handed it to her. She flipped through the pages as she asked, "This is pretty cool. Do you read any other comics?"

He shrugged before leaving her to play with the toys on the floor, an irritated glint in his eyes.

Asking a lot of questions seemed to annoy him, so she finished looking through the comic quietly. When she went to put it back, she noticed a worn drawing pad. She took it off the shelf and asked him, "You draw?"

He nodded his answer. Dr. Nakamura walked over to him and Jetto and sat with them on the floor.

"May I?" she asked.

Again he nodded. Pleased with his answer, she opened it. There were some wonderful pictures of family and friends dated months back. Also there were some interesting designs for aircrafts and spaceships. At the end of the book, there was only one picture he'd drawn recently. It was done about a week ago. It was a disturbing image.

Most of it was colored black with red and blue splattered here and there. In the center there was a very vividly drawn electric spark with a pale, bony hand reaching through.

Alarmed she showed Astro the picture and asked, "You drew this?" He looked at her warily as he nodded. Dr. Nakamura tried maintain a calm expression as she went on to ask, "What gave you the idea for this picture?"

This was the point where he'd had enough. She and Jetto watched as he got up abruptly and stormed out of the room.

Jetto took the drawing pad from her to look for himself. "He said that it's none of your business." The doctor was shocked. "You heard him speak?" Jetto shook his head. "No, but our electronic brains were built exactly the same. Our minds are linked. Sometimes I can feel what he's feeling or hear what he's thinking. Especially when he's upset. Only if he's not blocking me out that is."

This could be useful, but it was important for Astro to express himself by himself.

* * *

Dr. O'Shay had just finished explaining things to Zoran when Astro came downstairs. One look at his face told them that Dr. Nakamura had pushed too far. He went directly to the kitchen after snatching a fairytale book off the coffee table.

"Astro?" Dr. O'Shay said worriedly, rising from his seat on the couch.

The boy didn't stop. He found his habitual spot of solace next to the oven on the floor. Nora was already working in there. She saw the way he entered and decided it was best to go on as usual, but worry weighed heavy behind her façade. Jump was resting on his bed there. When Astro sat down between him and the oven, he opened the book. Jump whined softly and crawled into his lap. Astro held the pup with one arm and the book with his other hand. He started rocking back and forth. Too upset to read his eyes just followed the words as his mind reeled.

Everyone crept up in the doorway, watching him. Jetto handed the pad back to Dr. Nakamura who passed it to Dr. O'Shay. His eyes widened at first sight of it. He gave her a sharp look of concern. She stared back, just as worried.

He threw his head back towards the library, motioning for them to go there. She nodded back before they left.

Zoran grasped Jetto's hand tightly. In return he squeezed hers. They found it hard to leave, wanting to help their brother in some way.


	10. Walls

Wearily Dr. O'Shay sat down on the box seat in his library. His eyes wavered to the computer screen, wondering what Astro must being going through right now.

Dr. Nakamura remained standing, looking through the light green sheers.

"Just when there's hope... its put out again," Dr. O'Shay said sadly.

"He's made progress, but he's bottled up so much," Dr. Nakamura replied.

Still, Dr. O'Shay blamed himself saying, "I don't know what to do. It always feels like the answer is right in front of me, but I can't see it."

Dr. Nakamura went over and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're not perfect and you've been through a lot too. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can do something to change the situation. It's out of both our hands." It was the first time he'd truly thought of it.

"_Didn't I tell Reno something like that?_" the doctor asked himself.

Sitting down next to him, Dr. Nakamura said: "Understanding the human psyche has never been accomplished. How much more do we think we know the robot psyche?"

There was something else on her mind, so Dr. O'Shay prompted her to go on. "How much have you learned doctor?" She shut her eyes as she continued.

"While kokoro robots do not have DNA, thus not inheriting personality traits, they can absorb this from their environment. However the nature versus nurture debate is still present here.

"Because these kokoro robots start out life with vast amounts of information, to perform the tasks they were designed for, and also some basic social protocols programmed by their creators. The three basic protocols are moral thought, obedience and endeavor.

"Moral thought convicts the robot not to lie, steal, cheat and so on.

"Obedience keeps the robot loyal to the creator.

"Endeavor is bestowed so that the robot will work hard to please the creator, and fulfill the purpose for which the robot was made.

"The kokoro robot can choose whether or not to use or how to use these protocols.

"In the past, kokoro robots weren't recognized and there were very few of them to study. Besides that, not many scientists dedicated time to this field, because at the time there wasn't enough profit in it. To this day little is known about their personality development but, since opening my small clinic, I've come to understand some things behind their behavior..."

Dr. O'Shay raised up from his depressed slouch. "Like what doctor?" She folded her arms.

"Most robots I've met are law-abiding, honest hard-working citizens, but they are not immune to corruption. In the end they really aren't so different from us, on _all_ accounts.

"A lot of kokoro robots look to each other for guidance just as humans do. They watch not only their creators, but also other people and older models of robots. Then they try applying those traits and actions to their own lives... Whether those traits and actions be right or wrong, the robot ultimately decides for him or herself.

"There are those with social and mental disorders if you can believe it. This can be caused by a malfunction early in development or an imbalance of chemicals or hard wiring in the electronic brain, which cannot be easily remedied in today's modern free thinking robot.

"Not surprisingly there are robots who grow bitter from bad life experiences and live as recluses away from both races. Some choose to act out aggressively or passive aggressively. Take that Atlas boy for instance. He was angry with his father for abusing his son and robots without remorse, so he went on a rampage to find some kind of justice. Even though he wasn't a bad kid, he knew what he was doing was wrong.

"This is where Astro fits in."

The shock on Dr. O'Shay's face stopped her for a moment. She finished explaining before he demanded what she was suggesting.

"While he doesn't act out, he doesn't completely close himself off either," she began defensively but kindly, putting her hand on his. "He puts up barriers in order to protect himself. If someone goes near them, he retreats further behind them.

"To add to his delima, he's lost all his former memories of what life was like before his abduction. Needless to say, even when and _if_ he regains his memories he'll need therapy. In the meantime, he's getting too comfortable at home."

Dr. O'Shay shot her a very confused look, slipping his hand out from under hers. "What do you mean?"

"In this enviroment no one expects him to lower or drop those barriers. We need to get him out in the community," she answered simply.

Dr. O'Shay's brow creased in concern. He stood up and pointed out, "But that's too soon! Weren't you listening when I told you how he reacted to the reporters? Plus, they weren't exactly sympathetic."

Dr. Nakamura put a hand up. "I was getting to that." Then she smiled softly. "Every year around this time, I go on a mission trip to the Yunnan province in central China. There's a village by the river deep in the jungle. They rely on the river to get to the market to their sell goods and buy supplies. During the rainy season the current is too strong, making it impossible to get there. While they can store almost all the food they need, other necessities are sacrificed.

"I was going to send some friends in my stead, but this seems to be a good opportunity for Astro to socialize."

Distressed, Dr. O'Shay asked, "You're going to take Astro to the jungle?"

Dr. Nakamura put on a sly smirk.

"Don't worry," she assured. "You'll be coming too."

"_Oh, that makes it okay_." thought Dr. O'Shay sarcastically.

Dr. Nakamura pulled one sheer back slightly to look out at the city.

"The village is cut off from the modern world so no one will know him there."

Dr. O'Shay was still unconvinced. "But the jungle? Won't that be dangerous?" She shook her head. "He'll be in more danger here." He wasn't in total agreement, but was willing to let her try it.

"Okay," he relented, folding his arms. "When do we leave?"

"In a week and a half," she answered. "Before then, that will give me some time to get to know Astro personally."

She could see the look plainly. He knew Astro wouldn't be comfortable with it, so it made him uneasy. The doctor tried to help him in saying, "I know its hard, but you have to let Astro go through this... and sometimes he'll be on his own."

Dr. O'Shay chuckled dryly, trying to bury some of his fears. "I know, thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything," he said. "For flying out here and giving so much of your time. You have no idea how much it helps..."

With a shy twinkle in her eyes and a slight blush, Dr. Nakamura lowered her head and averted her eyes. "Well... you're welcome."

* * *

Jetto ventured into the kitchen and sat down in front of his distraught brother. Astro knew he was there but didn't take his eyes off the book. Gently, Jetto pulled it from his hand. Shocked and confused, Astro wondered what he was doing.

On the very next page Jetto found the beginning of a new story. He began to read it as Zoran sat down too, completing the little reading circle.

"Once upon a time a carpenter picked up a strange lump of wood one day while mending a table..."

Nora stopped what she was doing to watch the children reading "Pinocchio". Slowly Astro's face relaxed as he was sucked into the old tale. He started stroking Jump's head, and the pup was lulled the sleep by the warmth and peace growing in the room.

Her heart sang for joy as she put the sukiyaki ingredients in the sauce pan. The simmer of the broth as it was poured was in perfect harmony with the reading. When the two doctors came in they heard the sounds of a happy home and were relieved.


	11. Lullaby

Over the course of dinner, Dr. Nakamura talked with Dr. O'Shay about the upcoming election. The new candidate was very interesting this year. The current mayor was running against a _robot_. His name was Hiroaki Jidohanbaiki. He was one of the first robots to attend college since robots' rights were instated.

Hiroaki had a number of interesting degrees and had become an important part of the community. He was involved with a lot of charities, _and_ has had a career over the past year as the vice president of a popular automobile manufacturer, Kato. He was in good standing with all the influential people in the city. His reputation was clean and his personality was charming. Two key factors that had gained him a lot of support.

While the adults discussed all the boring details, the kids made quiet jokes when they weren't looking. Jetto put a fork and spoon in his mouth to look like walrus. He put a pea on his nose and balanced it as he fake clapped his "flippers". It was going well until he gotten so caught up in it, he accidentally pushed his chair back.

Everyone looked over the table. A humbled voice came from below. "I'm okay." It was too funny not to laugh.

During dessert, Dr. Nakamura talked more directly to Astro. Without asking too many questions, she had a good one-sided conversation with him. He seemed to have already forgiven her for earlier. She told him about herself, things she liked and lastly that she wanted to be good friends with him and his siblings. It seemed he wanted to too.

When the children were excused for their nightly tv show, Dr. O'Shay and Dr. Nakamura remained at the dinning room table, drinking coffee.

"Their not like any other robots that I've met," she mentioned, amazed. "I've read every remaining document on Astro at the ministry. Tenma didn't pre-program any social protocols. He was born the way he is, sweet and innocent."

Dr. O'Shay raised his mug to his chin and asked, "How about that nature versus nurture debate?"

She looked befuddled for a moment, and then inspired. "That's a good question." The wheels were turning in her brain and it would be a long while before they stopped. It made Dr. O'Shay laugh a little. That look had been on his and his friends' faces so many times, but it was different on her. She smiled at him unaware and asked, "What?" He sipped a little coffee before he answered. "Oh, nothing."

Too soon the show was over, much to the kids' disappointment. Because now it was time for bed. Nora and Dr. O'Shay had arrived in the living room just in time for the credits. The pleading eyes of the children had no affect.

"Come on," Dr. O'Shay said as he turned the television off.

Nora gently pushed them out of their seats.

"It's bed time," she said. "Say good night to Dr. Nakamura kids."

Zoran and Jetto said their good nights, but Astro only offered a small smile. She took it gladly and said good night back.

"I'll head back to the hotel now doctor," she said to Dr. O'Shay, shaking his hand.

"Alright. It was a lovely evening," he replied.

Zoran tugged at his sleeve while trying to suppress a big yawn. "Will you sing the starry lullaby, please?" She had asked so sweetly, he couldn't say no. "Alright." He picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck, already dozing on his shoulder.

He didn't notice how much Dr. Nakamura was adoring the moment. It had been a long day.

"Good night doctor," he said as he started for the stairs, flashing a tired grin back at her.

"Good night," she replied.

Before Nora saw her to the door, they both watched him trudge up the steps with the two boys right behind him, like father goose with the ducklings in tow.

He dropped Zoran off at her door and tucked in the boys first.

Jetto plopped down on his bed, laughing as he bounced into the air. The doctor decided to go out and buy a bunk bed tomorrow and a wardrobe for the newest family member. He would need a _longer_ set of clothes than Astro.

When the boys were settled he turned the night-light on and the lights off. Not even five seconds after he'd closed the door, Jetto began whispering to Astro. It seemed he was having a discussion with Astro, asking questions and getting answers, but Astro's voice was completely absent. Dr. Nakamura mentioned what Jetto had told her earlier. Maybe this would help Astro come back out of his shell. He had talked a little, saying he was sorry last night, but hadn't since. Dr. O'Shay didn't know exactly what to make of it.

Back in Zoran's room, she was in her yellow and pink pajamas and already in bed, waiting for her lullaby. A brown teddy bear was in her arms, keeping her company while she waited. Dr. O'Shay smiled and made his way over. He tucked the powder pink quilt in around her and asked, "Are you good and tired?" She yawned in response, rubbing her eyes.

Without further adieu, he sang her the lullaby.

"_Perhaps I can reach you, even though you're far away. I send you this message with all my heart. Hope is certainly a compass that points to love. Sleep, sleep gently, for tomorrow is a continent of dreams..._"

Jetto had fallen asleep quickly, so Astro's mind was left alone to wander. He was headed to the back of his mind, where all those dark memories lurked, but then he heard the lullaby in the next room. He enhanced his hearing and listened.

"_Last night you were scared of loneliness. The telepathy in your heart called my name... Sleep, sleep gently, forget your sorrow. The years sink into the sea like the setting sun. I'll jump across the starry sky to collect you... I'll jump across the starry sky to collect you..._"

A tear slipped down his cheek. He turned his head to the window, looking at the starry sky above the city. The moon was bright and full, beaming through the glass. A thought came to him. From where he didn't know. _Not every night has to be so dark._

His heart was soothed some and he drifted into sound, dreamless sleep.

* * *

In the dark cell the criminal glared at inspector Tawashi as he walked in. At first he didn't say anything. He just walked around, looking over the filthy habitat.

"Homey," Tawashi remarked.

"What do you want?" the thief asked.

Tawashi sat down on the bed next to him and said: ""I'd like to help, if you'll let me."

"How?"

"I could make a deal. You're sentence could be reduced and I can have you transferred."

"What do I have to do?"

Tawashi spread his arms out, gesturing that it was obvious. "Give up your 'employer'."

A fright lit up in the thief's eyes, although he tried to hide it.

Three minutes were all Tawashi gave him. Then he got up. "Okay, enjoy your stay."

As he was leaving, he heard "Wait!" After a quick smirk, he turned back around. The thief was afraid to give up the information, but he feared this place more. "The only name I have is King. No one knows who he is or what he looks like, but he's hired nearly every robot scrapper in Metro City. We're suppose to bring him quality machines."

Tawashi lowered his head, hiding his eyes with his hat. "Thanks..."

Outside the cell, Delta was waiting with the guard. As they were leaving, Delta asked, "You're going to get him transferred?" Tawashi looked up at him, but didn't answer. Delta pressed further. "And have his sentenced reduced?"

Again the inspector didn't answer. He waited until they were outside the jail and inside the squad car. The police robot waited still as Tawashi lit a cigar while they started down the road. Then the inspector answered. "I suppose I _would_... if he wasn't such a little leech."

At that Delta couldn't help but smile.


	12. The Unexpected Call

While the furniture store employees carried the new bed out, Dr. O'Shay adjusted his hat. As he had so obsessively throughout the day. Jetto, outfitted in a red ball cap, brown cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, was watching everything and everyone intently. He wasn't so _actively _curious as when his brother and sister were born, so thankfully it wasn't hard to watch him in the near empty parking lot.

"Doctor, isn't this beautiful?" Jetto asked, holding out a purple wild flower.

Dr. O'Shay examined it briefly before answering, "Yes, it is."

The door of the moving truck slammed shut with the task done. "It's all yours sir." Dr. O'Shay thanked both of them before he and Jetto left.

As they drove down the road, the doctor wondered how Astro was doing back at home in Metro City. Although his thoughts were constantly interrupted. Jetto kept pointing at and chattering about things and people they passed. Patient as always, Dr. O'Shay answered as many questions as he could, but Jetto could hardly stay on subject for long.

When they stopped in front of a large toy store, of course Jetto asked why they were there. Dr. O'Shay got out of the car and counted out some cash as Jetto got out too. He handed the boy the money and told him, "This is your toy budget. Let's go and buy some things of your own to play with."

"Really?!" Jetto asked excitedly.

The doctor nodded. "Of course."

* * *

It was about three o'clock when Dr. Nakamura arrived. Nora let her in kindly. "How are you today doctor?"

"I'm fine. How is everyone here? Is Dr. O'Shay not back yet?"

"We're all fine and no, he's not home yet. He and Jetto are still in the next town. You wouldn't mind staying with Astro would you? Zoran and I have some grocery shopping to do."

"No, not at all. You two go ahead."

Watching from the living room floor, Astro wondered if it was really okay. Zoran patted his shoulder as she passed by. "We'll be right back big brother." He smiled at her uncertainly.

As they went out the door, Dr. Nakamura said hello. He waved in return. She noticed he was drawing. As she approached, he went back to finishing his sketch. A closer look showed that it was another dark picture. This time it was a man illuminated by blue light, scowling menacingly with tools of torture in his hands. The man was surrounded by black charcoal darkness.

When Astro made the last stroke, Dr. Nakamura asked to see it. He handed it to her without hesitation, and without eye contact. As she looked over his work, he took her brown shoulder bag, playing with the buttons.

"You can look inside if you want," she said, eyes never leaving the sketch. "I brought some things for you to play with."

Dr. Nakamura sat down next to him as he dug inside the bag, discovering sets of pastels, pencils, charcoals, paints, brushes and two small canvases.

"Did you draw this from memory?" she asked.

She looked over and saw him nod. "Well its very good. Not many people can draw from memory so well." No response. Astro was busy admiring the pastels. That was just fine. Meanwhile, she studied his work.

The picture was drawn expertly, but without details. She knew Astro had incredible sensitivity. He could feel the slightest vibrations from any sound made. So, when he was blind, it would have been very easy to figure out what was in his environment and what it was shaped like. Just from that, he'd made the perfect sketch of one of the criminals who'd tortured him. obviously this man had to be, but he lacked telling features such as marks, freckles, eye and hair color. Still, inspector Tawashi would love to have this.

"This is such a great picture," Dr. Nakamura complimented. "Could I have it? I collect all kinds of art."

Astro nodded again, smiling as he came across a cobalt colored pencil.

"Thank you Astro," she replied, ripping the picture from the pad.

She gave it back to him and asked, "You draw so well, would you make me another picture?" Astro glanced at her curiously, but looked willing. "I'd like you to draw me the happiest thing you can think of. My collection needs some more cheery pieces."

Without answering, verbally or with gestures, Astro smiled while going straight to work. She needed to send Tawashi a copy of this sketch, but took a moment to watch how Astro drew. Legs folded, sketch pad balanced on his knees, he scrunched his nose up as he made the first basic shape. His face grew so bright as he drew a different scene.

Silently she went to Dr. O'Shay's library. He wouldn't mind her using it. She scanned the picture and sent it to Tawashi's phone, attached to an email explaining what it was and how Astro was able to draw it. Then she went back to the living room.

* * *

At the check out, Dr. O'Shay helped Jetto load the toys onto the conveyor belt. As the cashier scanned each toy, Jetto watched excitedly. The sweet young woman giggled at his face and mentioned, "You have such a nice papa." Dr. O'Shay stared blankly at her for a moment. If anything, he would have expected to be considered the grandpa.

Jetto noticed and remembered what Dr. Tenma had said about him.

_"Don't be afraid Jetto. You'll find happiness with Dr. O'Shay. I created you, but he'll fulfill the role of father better than I ever could."_

"Yes, I was just adopted," Jetto told her. "We're out here shopping to set up my new room. I get to share it with my new little brother!"

Dr. O'Shay looked down at the happy boy grinning up at him.

"Aw," the cashier squealed softly. "What a sweet papa indeed!"

An old natural smile took over Dr. O'Shay's expression, reliving the feeling of bringing Astro home for the first time. He put his arm around the boy and chuckled.

* * *

It had been half an hour and Astro was already nearly done. Dr. Nakamura had taken up a canvas and was painting Astro drawing, but she had to pick up the pace as not to fall behind and miss her subject's pose.

She managed to finish just before Astro gave her the picture.

"Ah," she admired, holding it up in the light.

It was a precious drawing of his immediate family. Dr. O'Shay, Zoran, Jetto, Nora and Jump with a soft back ground of cucumber green. White gently outlined everyone as they stood close to each other.

"How wonderful. Great work Astro!"

He blushed a little as he smiled humbly.

"Now this is for you," she said, turning the canvas around.

The painting nearly glowed with all the different shades. He studied all the soft blending colors that made up the room and himself. Everything was captured almost perfectly with experienced strokes.

He reached his hand out to touch it, but Dr. Nakamura pulled it back. "It's still wet, it'll be a while before it dries." Astro was a little disappointed, but happy. The doctor laughed and said: "While it dries, we could do a little baking. I brought some things for making cookies. Would you like that?" Astro nodded with a little grunt in place of a "yes".

"Alright then," she replied.

The white plastic bag she'd left at the door had what they needed. They took it into the kitchen and put everything out on the counter. First though, Dr. Nakamura borrowed Nora's frilly pink apron and tied Dr. O'Shay's green one on Astro. He didn't object to her doing it for him. Astro still didn't like hugs so much, but didn't mind little stuff like this. Maybe being enclosed in someone's arms made him feel trapped.

"Okay, Astro. Would you get a mixing bowl?" she asked.

Obliging happily, he dashed off for one of the bottom cabinets. As they put the dough together, she watched how his tension melted away. He really enjoyed rolling the dough and flattening it out on the baking pan. Dr. Nakamura taught him how to flatten the cookies out with a fork, giving it a waffled look. She helped him put the pan into the oven and let him set the timer.

Jump awakened from his nap as the smell began to drift through the air. He ran up to Astro and whined hungrily.

"I guess he wants a cookie too," Dr. Nakamura giggled.

Astro agreed and went over to Jump's biscuit jar. Then he gave the pup a bone shaped dog cookie. While Jump began to chow down, Astro stroked his back. Very, very lowly, he murmured, "Good boy." It made Dr. Nakamura smile.

"_I had hoped a pet was good idea_," she thought.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together. "While the cookies are baking, would you like to look through my art book? It has all kinds of artists and their work."

Still wearing a happy smile, Astro nodded once.

On the couch, with Jump between them, they opened the large green book. It was a compilation of children stories about great art and the artists. After a while they found Edgar Degas. Astro took a special interest in the story of the Little Dancer, published sometime around 1996.

As they were finishing the story, Nora and Zoran came through the door. "Dr. O'Shay and Jetto are back Astro!"

Astro dashed to the window and pulled the curtains back a little. Not a single media van or reporter was in sight, but there was a squad car right across the street. Dr. O'Shay was chatting with the officer as Jetto opened the back of the truck. Zoran and Nora rushed the groceries into the kitchen and then went outside the help Jetto.

"Come on Astro!" Zoran called as she ran out the door.

A step away from the door Astro froze, wondering what might happen if he went out there. Dr. Nakamura put her hand on his shoulder and said: "Let's go see what your brother brought home."

He was still afraid, but inched out anyway. It was so bright and sunny out in the front yard, a place Astro had yet to explore. Beautiful red flowers were blooming around the mailbox. Birds soared overhead, chirping a lovely song.

As he came up to the truck, a sinking feeling of dread came over him. Listening to Zoran and Jetto's foot steps inside made his spine shiver. From the shadows inside, a hand reached out. He nearly sprinted right back into the house, but his feet were weighed down by fear. A small squeal slipped out as the hand grabbed his. Jetto's face emerged from the dark truck, smiling at first but was now concerned.

"It's okay little bro," he said. "This truck is just for moving furniture. It's not taking you anywhere."

In an instant Astro remembered where he was. His eyes adjusted and saw the boxes inside with the bed wrapped in brown paper. Zoran was lifting two boxes on her shoulders.

"Would you like to help me with the bed?" Jetto asked.

After a short nod, Astro climbed inside. He carried the bottom bunk while Jetto carried the top. In a matter of ten minutes, everything had been moved upstairs. Astro shut the door of the truck himself with a loud slam, as if saying good riddance to bad memories.

Dr. O'Shay finished his conversation with the officer very timely.

"Well now, that was quick," he commented.

Jetto proudly replied, "We work fast."

Dr. O'Shay laughed. "Yes, you do. Now, how about we go set up the bunk bed eh?"

Jetto turned to Astro and smirked. " Betcha I can get done faster than you can."

Astro put on a competitive face that said, "I betcha can't."

They raced each other upstairs to see who could get the job done quicker. Zoran ran after them saying, "Wait for me!"

By the time the adults made it upstairs, Astro and Jetto had already nearly finished. Their little sister handed them nuts, bolts and tools from the little white box that came with the bed. Dr. Nakamura smiled upon the cute little spectacle and the cute little bed.

The headboard was one piece, made to look like a blue rocket ship. The frame was all chrome except for the bottoms of the two posts in the back. Around the chrome hard plastic, shaped like rocket flames, was wrapped around them. Tiny red, yellow and orange LED lights were arranged inside accordingly to make it seem like real fire.

Once it was all set up, a single cord for the lights had to be plugged in behind the bed. It was perfect. A bed and a night-light all in one. The two brothers were very happy with it.

"I must say, it does look nice in here," Dr. O'Shay said. "Don't you think so doctor?"

"Yes," Dr. Nakamura replied. "Very nice."

Zoran threw her hands up in the air with a "Yay!"

"Now all we have to do is unpack the other stuff," Jetto said.

Zoran excitedly started helping with the new toys, but played with them first. The two doctors left the children to it with Nora and headed down stairs, laughter in the air behind them.

"How was your time with Astro today?" Dr. O'Shay asked, hoping their plan had good results.

Dr. Nakamura answered as she shut the library door behind her. "He seems to like me, or at least I hope so. Maybe he'll trust me a little more soon." Dr. O'Shay was relieved to hear it, but had a feeling that bad news would soon follow. She took the drawing from the scanner and showed it to him.

"Did you tell inspector Tawashi about this?!" Dr. O'Shay asked immediately.

Dr. Nakamura nodded. "I sent it to him. I haven't heard back from him yet."

For a long while, Dr. O'Shay was quiet, staring at the picture. The fuzzy image of the man with fluffy gray hair came to mind. If this was the guilty man, he hoped inspector Tawashi would catch him.

A high pitched note broke the silence. The computer screen went black, but then brightened back up with a new image. Dr. Tenma was staring straight at them.

"Hello," he greeted casually.


End file.
